1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to digital cameras and more particularly to a system and method for managing power conditions within a digital camera device.
2. Description of the Background Art
Current photographic technologies include various digital camera devices which capture image data by electronically scanning selected target objects. Digital camera devices typically process and compress the captured image data before storing the processed image data into internal or external memory devices. Furthermore, these digital camera devices may utilize multiple software routines running within a multi-threading environment to perform the various steps of capturing, processing, compressing and storing the image data.
Protecting the captured image data during the processing and compression stages (prior to final storage in non-volatile memory) is an important consideration of both camera manufacturers and camera users. Camera designers must therefore anticipate the occurrence of any events which might endanger the integrity of the captured image data.
A power failure in a digital camera device is one example of an event which might seriously jeopardize unprotected image data within the digital camera. For example, the digital camera may be performing a critical process at the time a power failure occurs. The intervening power failure may destroy the effect of the critical process and thus damage the image data or cause the digital camera to malfunction.
Furthermore, a power failure may interrupt various camera functions which typically resume their respective tasks whenever power is restored to the digital camera. The interrupted functions, however, would be unaware that a power failure had intervened. The interrupted functions would thus be unaware of the hardware reset which results from reapplying power after the power failure. This confusion between the system software and hardware would potentially endanger camera operations.
For the foregoing reasons, and because of other serious consequences of power failures in digital cameras, an improved system and method is needed for managing power conditions within a digital camera device, according to the present invention.